(11 November 2001) The latest album from multi-platinum artist Sarah Brightman entitled Classics (Angel (USA) 7243 5 33257 2 5 V, 2001) blends familiar pieces with four all-new recordings. Classics is the essential collection that showcases the ultimate soprano voice in classical contemporary crossover today. New material joins a selection of the singer's own favourtie classical songs from her chart-topping albums Eden and La Luna (review), including her solo version of the international hit single "Time To Say Goodbye."

The new collection is the ultimate Sarah Brightman experience, one that begins with the sexy, smoldering image of the singer on the cover, hinting at the pleasures within. Through Brightman's inimitable sensual soprano, an edgy, here-and-now sensuality emerges from the sublime classical roots of these songs, reminding the listner why The Hollywood Reporter marveled at her gift for being "a delicate waif one minute, operatic diva the next."

Brand new tracks include "Ave Maria," "Winter Light" and a new performance of "Pie Jesu" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem, which was written specially for Sarah. Two other new songs, "Alhambra" and "Dans La Nuit," are original Brightman adaptations, featuring newly-written lyrics sung to classical melodies by Tarréga and Chopin respectively. All five of these tracks plus new recordings of "O Mio Babbino Caro" and "Nessun Dorma" feature Sarah singing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Classics album includes "La Wally," another hit from the Time To Say Goodbye album. Selections from Eden include "Lascia Ch'io Pianga," "Anytime, Anywhere" and the stunning "Baïllero." From La Luna, selections include "Serenade/How Fair This Place," "Figlio Perduto" and the title track.

Sarah Brightman has defined the classical contemporary crossover genre and contributed to its growth since releasing Time To Say Goodbye (Timeless in Europe and other territories) and following it up with Eden and 2000's La Luna. Stunning DVDs of concerts to support the artist's last two compact disc releases are equally notable. Single remixes have reached top spots on various worldwide charts.

Additional information, photos and tour dates are available on Sarah's updated website. Find further information on this album, read additional reviews, listen to soundbites and order the album from amazon.comhere. Certainly worth a trans-Atlantic journey, Sarah Brightman's Classics is a must listen!

(11 November 2001) The collaborative album New Irish Hymns (Kingsway Music (UK) KMCD2329, 2001) is the brainchild of Irish composer / writer / conductor Keith Getty. Featuring the stunning voices of Máire Brennan of Clannad, Joanne Hogg of Iona, and Margaret Becker, New Irish Hymns is a faith-inspiring collection of ten newChristian hymns that range from the ethereal to the energetic.

In addition to the talents of Máire Brennan, JoanneHogg, and Margaret Becker, Keith Getty has recruited a fine set of instrumental players who add wonderful texture to the songs through their playing of guitars, whistles, pipes, percussion, and orchestrated strings.

Fans of Máire Brennan's solo albums and Iona's workswill find much to appreciate in New Irish Hymns. The opening track "Your Hand O God Has Guided," in fact, sharesmuch in common with "The Big Rock" from Máire Brennan's third solo album, "Perfect Time; rich syncopated strings, uillean pipes, tin whistle, and tribal drums work togetherto create a triumphal and swelling mood.

Songs like "With the Early Morning" and "Over Fields of Green" similarly focus on issues of Christian unity and praise through use of folk-based melodies punctuated by driving string arrangements, tight guitar strumming, and use various other traditional Celtic instruments.

Of course, no Celtic album would be complete withoutat least a few downtempo numbers; and "New Irish Hymns" is no different. "Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer" is a lovely song that sits comfortably next to traditional spirituals ike "Amazing Grace." The soothing "My Hope" features a wonderfully-played piano lead backed by a company of rich strings. One of the highlights on the album, "This Fragile Vessel" openswith expansive orchestration to which Máire Brennan'sever-distinctive vocals are joined. It is especially enjoyable to here Máire's pure voice without overmuch use of reverb effects or overdubbed harmonies.

The cumulative effect of "New Irish Hymns" is togenerate a sense of positive affirmation in the listener. Although this album does not attempt to hide its Christian message, all those who appreciate Celtic music will find this recording to be a wonderful listen.--Justin Elswick

(11 November 2001) The debut self-titled album by Soniq Theater is a 16-track progressive masterwork by German composer, producer and recording artist Alfred Mueller. Jazz, rock and pop influences contribute to the eclectic sound of the well-arranged pieces. While vocal work drifts in and out, instrumentals dominate the album. The sound is that of a well-established progressive group, yet it is entirely performed by Mueller himself.

We asked Alfred about the vocals. He told us, "the vocals on [the track] 'Minka e Rano' come from the CD Bulgarian Magic Voices; I loved this song, sung a capella and I composed the prog-song arrangements around the vocals. The vocals on 'Excalibur' and 'Cinemagic' come from a sampling CD containing a capella sung snippets for sampling; the name of the singer is Suzann."

Soniq Theater's music will appeal to fans of Rick Wakeman, Vangelis and even a hint of Yanni; it balances dynamic guitar parts with symphonic keyboard passages that are often classically influenced featuring lightning speed at times. While certainly progressive in every respect, there are hints of new age, with natural atmospherics spread around for good measure, throughout the project. Well-played percussion adds to the crispness of the material.

The album's epic numbers include "The Power and the Glory," "The Riders of Rohan" and "Cinemagic," with symphonic passages running over the 6:00 mark. The others are somewhat shorter yet they fit very nicely together to form a cohesive album. From the dramatic opening number "Rondeo" to the closing magic of "Dans les Nuages," this is an album that our readers will listen to over and over, beginning to end.

Find further information on Soniq Theater and order the compact disc online at the artist's website. Certainly worth a trans-Atlantic journey, this debut album is a must listen!

(11 November 2001) In 1999, composer Robert Prizeman released his first album, featuring a reworking of several classical pieces as well as his own compositions underthe name "Libera." Following the success of "classical-crossover" artists such as Sarah Brightman, E.R.A., Lorenza Ponce, Paul Schwartz, and Emma Shaplin, Robert Prizeman opted to create his own niche in the genre by utilizing a boyschoir, synthetic textures, and real symphonic instrumentation. The result was an arresting and haunting collection of melodies that were simultaneously inspiringand chilling.

Now, "Libera" have returned with their majesticfollow-up effort, Luminosa. The heavenly music of "Luminosa" is the result of Robert Prizeman's careful selection and re-arrangement of songs based on the works of such composers as Beethoven, Saint Saens, Debussy, and Handel interspersed between his own original compositions.In fact, it may be argued that the best pieces on thisrelease are actually the ones crafted by Robert Prizeman, who shows formidable talent as a classical composer.

Standout pieces include "Sacris Solemnis" (based onSymphony No. 7: Allegretto by Beethoven), with its dynamic and ever-expanding vocal arrangment accompanied byorgan. "Gaudete" is a medieval-based chant that rivals any secular madrigal written during the Early Modern Period. Particular interesting is the shifting time signature and early instrumentation accompanying the vocals.

In the tradition of Faure, "Silencium" is a worshipfultrack that captures the austerity of monastic Catholicism and the serenity of contemplation. "Veni Sancte" is probably Robert Prizeman's most musically innovative number. Here, he demonstrates a true mastery of classical form by using a Gregorian-influenced vocal line that evolves into apolyphonic dream.

Credit must surely be given to the incredibly skilledboys choir and solists selected by Robert Prizeman to perform his work. The inside pages of the CD feature a photoof the group of young boys in the choir who look astypically energetic, playful and distracted in their street clothes as any group of boys might. However, the emphasis on such casualness appears to have been purposely cultivatedin order to draw attention to the fact that theseboys, while appearing commonplace,are anything but.

In fact, after hearing Luminosa,one recalls that the beauty of the human voice is truly the greatest of all instruments--and that such an instrument may be housed in the most unexpected ofphysical frames.--Justin Elswick

Read further information, listen to soundbites and order the album from amazon.comhere. Clearly worth a journey, this album is a must listen!

(25 November 2001) Already acclaimed in its original release country, Selection One (Chillball (Germany) RTD 113.3783.2, 2001) is a wide-ranging collection of new age, world and dance-oriented keyboard material played or programmed by Alberto Hauss. Produced for Matiz Music, the album is comprised of fourteen lovely tracks.

Rhythmic percussion underscores each of the instrumental melodies with bits of acoustic and spanish guitar, Fender strat, Indian flute, violin and tenor sax adding to lush keyboard arrangements. A clever blend of well-produced world themes, dance music and relaxing new age elements is certain to delight a broad range of listeners.

The standout new age-oriented track "Deja Vue," with itswirling and evocative synths, includes layers of Freud's Cora O'Donovan on backing vocals. The short "Le Soleil Levant" has a lovely and mournful female vocal lead. "Clyde's Cafe," with almost-spoken bits Maria Chica Sanchez, combines Spanish influences with jazz effectively blending instrumentals with vocal elements. In a similar blend of jazz, new age and dance, Lollo's lovely French language vocals add to the upbeat "Je Dance," clearly one of the album's standout tracks--a "Nova Step Mix" version concludes the recording.

Selection One's production quality is superb; instruments are perfectly mixed and imaged and the album sounds tremendous played quietly in the background or at full volume. World sounds range from Spanish guitar, through new age to Indian. The album produces a wonderful inner tranquility when listened to in its entirety. Two dance-oriented mixes of previously included numbers end the album on a high spot.

Certain to please world music audiences, the instrumentally lush Selection One is a vast production by talented artists and worthy of further exploration. Currently available in European territories, sound samples of all tracks and further reviews are available at amazon.dehere. Vocally sparse, this one is for instrumental lovers -- a very nice listen!

(25 November 2001) Eleven vocally-dominated new age-oriented tracks some with vocal contributions by Freud's Cora O'Donovan (review) comprise the Elysia album Spirit Of The Sun (Edel Records (Germany), 2001). Crisp percussion and electric guitar perfectly compliment the synth-based arrangements. Lush male and female vocal harmonies support Cora's lovely lead. Several of the album's tunes ("Forever," "Earthvoice" and others) also feature lead vocal parts by Alireza Sanatjou.

The album was produced by Terra Del Sol-artist Ingo Hauss (review) for Matiz Music and was co-produced by Clyde Ward. Executive production credit goes to Mike Ungefehr. The album is certain to appeal to enthusiasts of ERA and Delerium (review).

Sung as a duet between the two lead vocalists, the album's title track and "The World Wasn't Made In One Day" are certainly among the album's standouts. We especially appreciated the soaring female African-sounding chants that underscore the male lead and shine through in the chorus. Upbeat and rhythmic percussion adds a dance flavour to several of the tracks as well. Evocatively sung male and female vocal parts intertwine in the heavenly ballad "Come The Night."

The Cora O'Donovan female-led vocal numbers, including "Elysium" and "One In A Million Dreams," make this album work for us the most. Powerful and lush layers of vocals comprise an Enya-style choir in the symphonic piece "Genesis," certainly one of the album's standouts.

Dominated by synthesizer, "Tranquilia," and the album's closing number, "Magnetic Wisdom," are both moving and very Vangelis-oriented new age instrumentals. Soundbites of all the album's tracks are available at amazon.dehere. The blend of worldly instrumentals, new age sounds and Cora O'Donovan's vocals make this one to explore further--a very nice listen!

(25 November 2001) The long-awaited follow-up to F.R.E.U.D.'s Time Passengers (review) is currently being circulated to the music media exclusively as a preview. The new album entitled The Great Crossing is comprised of nine tracks featuring Cora Donovan's vocal work. Sally Oldfield (review) guests on the opening track "Ozymandias" and a dance remix that concludes the album.

Lushly produced, Cora's lovely lead vocal soars above instrumentals in Celtic-flavoured ballad "Eden" and the lovely lush new age sounds of "Deja Vu." Dominated by layers of Cora's evocative vocals, "The Journey" is much more pop-oriented, but untraditionally so, a departure from Freud's normal resting spot--but it works.

Rich synthesizer passages form the musical foundation for the album's instrumental title track. Strings and keyboards carry different elements of the melodies that comprise the piece. Cora's evocative and powerful lead is supported by lovely and rich harmonies in the wordly standout track "Phantasmagoria." Cora's whispy vocals in the verses are especially sensually performed.

Evocatively performed with vast mood swings and worldly atmospherics, various movements of "The Averbury Circle" bring what must be Druid worship to the listener's mind. Cora's lovely lead vocal returns in the upbeat and somewhat dancy "Mystery Moon" with choir-like vocal layers performed in a style similar to Delerium. Short spoken elements are also lovely. The album concludes with a dance remix of "Ozymandias" featuring Sally Oldfield.

The Great Crossing is an album that will delight female vocal enthusiasts. Cora's vocal excursions are perfectly complimented by exotic world sounds, Celtic flute and lush synthesizer passages. Find further reviews and sound bites from Freud's debut album Time Passengers is at amazon.com here.Watch for the commercial release of The Great Crossing in the next twelve months. Like Freud's debut, this one is a must listen!

(15 November 2001) Those fortunate to see Adiemus perform in concert know how well this music works in a live setting. The rest of us finally can join in on this experience with the new Adiemus Live (Virgin (UK) CDVE 960, 2001) album. Recorded in Cardiff on March 16th, 2001, the album contains a substantial number of songs from Adiemus' latest studio CD, The Eternal Knot, which this concert was intended to promote.

The key to a good concert album is for it to convey to the listener the excitement of being at the concert itself. Therefore any reduction in sound quality that is due to the live setting should be made up for by the added experience of the real-time performance in front of an audience. Fortunately this CD has much of the live atmosphere without sacrificingmuch in sound quality. Indeed, the sound of this CD seems to exceed what was observed by some of the reviewers of the original concert - an indication of some careful post-concert sound engineering.

The recording clearly demonstrates the enthusiasm of the performers. Miriam Stockley shines in the opening track "Adiemus" and with the able backing of the Finnish Adiemus Singers conveys pure joy and excitement intracks like "Kayama" and "Cu Chullain." These energetic Adiemus songs lend themselves well to live performances.

Most of the songs were performed with the same arrangement as the original studio versions, even though some songs were edited for the performance, such as "Kayama" and "The Dagda." A new, percussion-rich introduction was added to "The Dagda" which makes the intro sound even more ominous than on "The Eternal Knot." The great reinterpretation on this CD is Martin Taylor's solo guitar improvisation of the song "Hymn." At times jazzy, at times subdued, Taylor - who contributed a guitar solo on "The Eternal Knot" - explores the song carefully and makes each note stand out. The result is a quiet, beautiful meditation on the song.

While this is a great live CD it has two notable shortcomings. First is the absence of any song from Adiemus' second CD Cantata Mundi," which is considered by many to be one of Adiemus' finest works. Second is theabsence of any photographic evidence of the concert. While the CD's artwork, by Andrea Vizzini, is colorful and interesting, pictures of the artists in performance would have been a good addition.

The final song on the CD and the concert's encore - "Dos A Dos" - is an obvious crowd pleaser and is followed by a thunderous, well-deserved ovation. In all, Adiemus Live is a great addition to Jenkins' Adiemusworks and a must-have for Adiemus fans worldwide.--Paul van Vliet

Read more about the album, read further reviews, listen to soundbites and order the CD from amazon.comhere. This Adiemus album, like others from the ensemble featuring the stunning vocal work of Miriam Stockley, is worth a trans-Atlantic journey and is certainly a must listen!

(01 December 2001) Based in York and written more closely to this way -- Gã’bri•el -- this Yorkshire based alternative progressive band is led by Marc Atkinson. The band's debut album Ascension is a tremdously well-produced 12-track collection.

Mostly Autumn (review) enthusiasts will be pleased to know that Brian Josh, Heather Findlay, Angela Goldthorpe, Iain Jennings and Liam Davison contribute to the recording. Marc Atkinson, Gina Dootson (review) and Rachel Jones (Karnataka, review) provide backing vocals on Mostly Autumn The Story So Far DVD and accompanying live album.

With that said, Ascension is an album of fine music by a band that has found their foothold in the classic rock arena; reviews of their performance at Rotherham Rocks in October 2001 were outstanding. Rightfully so, the band blends 70s-style sensibility with modern arrangements and heartfelt lyrics. Greatly sensitive male vocals dominate the lightly rocking arrangements; Heather Findlay clearly contributes backing harmonies along with Janine Atkinson, and Ruth Hodge.

Gabriel's sound is largely derived from Marc Atkinson's dramatically sung lead vocal parts and Rob Swann's lush keyboards. Acoustic guitar, electric guitars, bass and percussion perfectly compliment the overall sound--and the backing work is superb. Ascension combines upbeat, lightly rocking numbers with heartfelt ballads; guitar and keyboard excursions demonstrate the artists' virtuousity, complimenting rathern than detracting from the material. It is easy to see why the band have so quickly become a Classic Rock Society favourite.

Standout tracks include the upbeat, keyboard-laced and even radio friendly "More Than You Know," the crisp rocking opening tune "Stay With Me" and the wonderful rocker "All Of My Life" with their lush vocal harmonies. We especially enjoyed the lush instrumental--wonderful keyboard part--and vocal blend of the rocking "Cry For Me."

The album's ballads ("The Closest Thing," "Faith & Betrayal," "Mother Love," "Fragile," "Here I Am") are sung and produced quite well. The tracks that bridge upbeat with ballad are especially enjoyable--instrumental bridges, including Angela Goldthorpe's flute passages, demonstrate the depth of the recording. The modern sound of "I Wanna Be With You" clearly illustrates that Gabriel are not trapped in the past. The light rocker "Always Remember (Who You Are)" that closes the album leaves the listener longing for more.

Although dominated by male vocals, this is clearly one of the best new albums we've heard this year, and one worthy of further exploration. Click on the album cover to visit the band's website for further biographical information and reviews; order the album directly from the band there. Take a trans-Atlantic journey; this one is a must listen!

(01 December 2001) Gina Dootson's debut album 3AM Generation (Gd 006, 2001) is no ordinary singer songwriter collection. Based in Yorkshire, Gina Dootson was brought to the attention of Musical Discoveries at Mostly Autumn's performance earlier this year at the Mean Fiddler (review). Gina provides backing vocals to several of Mostly Autumn's tracks on the resulting DVD and live CD "The Story So Far" (review working in conjunction with Marc Atkinson (Gabriel, review) and Rachel Jones (Karnataka, review).

Gina's power, range and vocal attitude are evident from the album's outset in the first three traditional singer songwriter tracks,sung evocatively over acoustic guitar, entitled appropriately "3AM Generation," "Hideaway" and the everso soft heartfelt ballads "Release Me" and "Sleepless Tonight." We were especially impressed not only with Gina's vocal sensitivity and evocative delivery but the warm production quality of the recording. Marc Atkinson and Rob Swann (Gabriel) have had a hand in the mixing of several tracks.

Gina wrote about her musical beginnings,"After that initial burst I started learning classical piano, and even though I knew sod all about the theoretical side of things, I passed grade 6. During my GCSE music, I had to compose various songs and did so with ease - and managed to get an A grade. But, when I left school I decided to take 'A' levels in Biology and Maths (don't ask me why) and persued a career in Science (boring). Music was still a major part of my life though, and that's when I started playing guitar. It was accidental really - to cut it short my Dad bought my Mum a guitar for Christmas and hid it in my wardrobe for a few weeks before-hand. I would sneak it out every now and then when everyone was out, and by Christmas day I could play all the carols! While Mum and Dad were still in shock I managed to persuade them to buy me one."

She continued, "My Mum is the one to blame for getting me into the business as she used to drag me along (against my will) to the folk clubs. I was very, very shy and would sit with my head bowed underneath my hair, mumbling songs out at a hundred miles an hour. Slowly, I started to become more confident and soon had a few songs to my name. But that is when I suffered a major set-back in my life. My closest friend died tragically and I just crumbled. The life that I loved just came to a stop. I had an awful long time on my own, tucked away in my room just thinking. But, I now know that the time I spent thinking was so precious and crucial to how my music career was to evolve." Read the rest of the story at her website (click on one of the images left).

Gina's project is by no means a typical singer songwriter album; it is written and performed entirely by the artist herself (keyboard, guitar and percussion). Robust—yet gentle—rockers like "Slide," and the softer "Hold Me Tightly," propel the album clearly into an alternative progressive territory and serve to demonstrate the musical bandwidth of the album.

Layered harmonies add depth to several of the softer ballad-like tracks. Stunning examples include the evocative "Crippled" and "Rebel," while "Lost Without You" serves to highlight sensitive Gina's solo voice extremely well.One of the album's standouts is an almost American country-style tune entitled "Dinner On Mars." Multiple guitar parts, crisp percussion and vocal harmonies perfectly support Gina's gently soaring lead vocal.

Gina Dootson's 3AM Generation is clearly one of the better 'musical discoveries' brought to our attention this year. An artist with tremendous promise and a bright future, Gina is already working on the followup to her debut. Find further biographical information at her website (click on one of the images left) and order her debut there. Worth a journey, this one is a must listen!

(30 November 2001) For many people Tolkien’s epic novel The Lord of the Rings may not have needed a movie adaptation. Tolkien’s language and imagery is so vivid, images form in the mind quickly. The flawed 1978 movie adaption by Ralph Bakshi did little to change that notion, but did feature a rousing score by Leonard Rosenman.

Our interest in the soundtrack stems initially from vocal contributions by Enya. Entitled Music From The Motion Picture Lord Of The Rings--The Fellowship Of The Ring (Reprise/New Line (USA) 2-48810 / 48238-RE-1), the 18-track CD is produced by Howard Shorte and Suzana Perle; two of the tracks are produced and engineered by Nicky Ryan.

Hopes are high for the new three-part movie adaptation by Peter Jackson. At this time, the score for the first movie The Fellowship of the Ring has been released. The score was written by Howard Shore and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the London Voices and several guest performers.

Tolkien’s novel evokes many melodies; his novel is littered with songs and instruments and the story’s strong moods easily evoke music. In this context, Howard Shore’s score is both beautiful and appropriate. The Lord of the Rings is often described as an epic, and Shore has written appropriate sweeping pieces, such as "The Black Rider"and "The Bridge Of Khazad Dum," evoke grand events and powerful emotions.

On the other hand, pieces such as "Concerning Hobbits" and "At The Sign Of The Prancing Pony" are far more light and subtle, having a truly British feel--not coincidental, as Tolkien modeled the Hobbits’ home in the Shire on the English countryside.Other motifs of the story, such as the quiet beauty of the elves and the darkness of the evil forces are just as powerfully rendered in music.

The score employs choral pieces to great effect, oftentimes with the lyrics sung in one of Tolkien’s Elfin languages. The effect of this is similar to John Williams’ use of a chorus in the score for Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The choir establishes a strong atmosphere while not turning the score into a musical.

The score uses three solo vocalists and uses them well. Elizabeth Fraser, best known for her incredible vocal performances as part of the Cockteau Twins, sings the haunting "Lament for Gandalf." This song is part of the stand-out piece "Lothlorien," which through its shifting melodies, its ethereal female chorus, and its oriental instrumentation truly provides an otherworldly feel that perfectly matches Tolkien’s description of Lothlorien. Young singer Edward Ross brings his pure choir-boy voice to "In Dreams."

However, most attention will most likely go to the contributions of Irish singer Enya. Enya contributes to two songs, "Aniron" and "May It Be," both of which she composed herself. Of these two, "Aniron" is the stronger song. It has a simple yet strong melody and the lyrics are powerfully sung. Enya’s throaty voice reminds one of her vocal on the song "Exile" from the album Watermark.

Supported by a sparse string arrangement and followed by a powerful rendition of the score’s main fellowship theme, this song is well integrated in the overall score. The song "May It Be" is more reminiscent of the ballads on Enya’s A Day Without Rain album. Melodically it is less interesting than "Aniron," but the lyrics serve the moment in the story at which the movie ends well.

Overall, the music for The Fellowship of the Ring is a varied, beautiful, and grand movie score which can easily stand on its own as an impressive musical work. You can read further reviews, hear soundbitesand order the album from amazon.comhere. Fans of orchestral movie scores, of Tolkien’s books, and of the impressive vocals of many of the artists featured on Musical Discoveries will find much to enjoy here.--Paul van Vliet

(26 November 2001) Emmi has something in common with Cinderella; their story is based on simple things and a humble attitude. She first saw the stars from distance, but now she is shining as one of them on the European music scene.

Background. At 21, Emmi has been named "The Best Nordic Artist" this year. Her singles "Breakable," "Crashing Down" and "Green Car" are widely played at various radio stations and MTV Nordic. Legendary Roxy Music selected Emmi to join their European tour and Nokia signed a contract with her for amajor advertisement campaign. Later this year she will sing with the legendary Celtic rock band Runrig.

Emmi’s start and career so far is like in a Hollywood movie. She started to play guitar in her teens and the idea for first songs was discovered that time. She comes from a musical family, so obviously the first notes were given already in the mothers milk.

At 17, she went to the United States to work for a while and, after returning to her home country Finland, the first demo tracks were made in the friends garage with her father's assistance. EMI, as one of Finland's leading labels, immediately realized the potential of the artist and she was signed for her first singles. The debut album Solitary Motions(Parlophone (Finland) 07243 531257 2 1) was released in 2001.

At this writing, Emmi is the number one female artist of the Finnish pop / rock scene. Her strengths are the full dedication on musical aspects, nice melodies and a unique--a bit soft--singing style. She does not fit to the usual pop / rock star profile, but must be looked at more from the alternativesinger / songwriter perspective. "Only music counts, all the rest around it is useless," she comments.

Our Interview. We reached Emmi in the middle of studio session, but she still spared some time on the phone for Musical Discoveries’ audience. When we asked about her schedule lately, she said, "Yes, it’s true that the speed of events this year, one after another, has generally surprised positively. Just yesterday and day before we had two gigs in the north of Finland to finish the local tour."

We asked her to comment on the touring outside Finland. "Have to say, from experience perspective it was very valuable time to participate the tour with Roxy Music and actually next Saturday (8th Dec) I’m going to start a new tour on the continent Europe again."

Today you started recording new songs for your next album. How will the style of Emmi continue with these new songs? "Well, all the pop elements we will put aside and concentrate on basic instruments and vocals. Pperhapps we’re going to a bit more rocky on the next album."

People seem to wellcome your way of saying things on the lyrics, attitude on fan-relations and the close contact you generate with people. Your success is growing, does this mean a certain distance coming in between? "Hmm, not necessary at all, this is just how the things are. May sound a bit flat, but I’m just making music about the things that I see around, or that I think or dream about. I would like to maintain the close contact with the life aroundme, anyway that’s the one that inspires me."

You have also done some work for Nokia, one of the leading brands in the world. What have they prepared for Emmi? "We made cooperation for Nokia’s advertisement and this is also a remarkable part of my international promotion. "Breakable" is playing to support their campaign. They just liked my songs and picked me for cooperation."

That is a huge media opportunity anyway. Further it’s been written about you for example, 'little girl in the machinery.' Do you feel the music world and related media that way 'big'? "Yes and no. I know what I want to do and will find my way there. Of course it may happen that if you let others handle you uncontrolled, you will be thrown everywhere also without any serious connection to the original idea of your existence, which is - the music!"

Ok, thanks a lot Emmi. Let’s not waste any more studio time for talks, better to remain listen now. Solitary Motions is showing the capability of Emmi as singer/songwriter from the first degree. We look forward to hear her soft, but powerful and well balanced voice again on the next album, which is to be released later spring 2002. Stay tuned for more news and reviews at Musical Discoveries.
--Mauri Osterholm (Scandinavian Correspondent)

Although the album is not yet released in all territories, copies may beobtained at amazon.de here.You can also find further reviews and soundbites at this location. Certainlyan artist we will be hearing a lot more from in the future, her debut albumSolitary Motions is a must listen!